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Flowers · Flower

Growing marigold

Tagetes erecta · also called Genda, GaindaAfrican marigold, grown for its large orange and yellow flowers for garlands and worship, and as a border row in vegetable plots. Raised in a nursery and transplanted; frost kills it.

Temperate Himalaya: Kashmir valley, Shimla, Kullu, Uttarakhand hills

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Includes AI suggestions where no published guide covers a detail
African marigold plant with a large double orange flower
Photo: Joydeep · CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

Marigold in the Temperate Himalaya

  • Season

    Summer, after the last spring frost1

  • Sowing to last picking

    About five to six months from nursery sowing to the last picking before the autumn cold.

    No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

  • Plant out

    May to early June

    No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Across India

When to sow it

Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.

Wait until May

The next sowing here is May to early June.

Under cover, from Late March to April, under cover.

Sowing now in:Central plateauDeccan plateauSouth interiorEast coast
  • Nursery
  • Transplant
  • Harvest
  • Under cover
  • Today
Temperate HimalayaKashmir valley, Shimla, KulluSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunCold desertLadakh, Lahaul and Spiti
Compare all 12 regions
Cold desertLadakh, Lahaul and SpitiSub-tropical foothillsJammu, Kangra, DehradunNorth-west plainsPunjab, Haryana, DelhiGangetic plainseastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal plainsNorth-east hills and valleysAssam, Meghalaya, SikkimArid westRajasthan, Kutch, north GujaratCentral plateauMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, VidarbhaDeccan plateauinterior Maharashtra, Telangana, north KarnatakaSouth interiorBengaluru, Mysuru, interior Tamil NaduWest coastKerala, Goa, KonkanEast coastcoastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra
Today
See the dates as a table
RegionSowNurseryTransplantHarvest
Temperate HimalayaUnder cover: Late March to April, under coverMay to early JuneLate July to early October
Cold desertUnder cover: April, in a greenhouseLate May to early JuneLate July to September
Sub-tropical foothillsJuneSeptember to OctoberUnder cover: January, under coverJulyOctober to NovemberFebruary
North-west plainsEnd of JuneMid SeptemberUnder cover: January, under polytheneBy 25 FebruaryFirst half of AugustBy mid October
Gangetic plainsMid JuneMid SeptemberJanuary to FebruaryMid JulyMid OctoberFebruary to March
North-east hills and valleysSeptember to early OctoberMarchOctober to early NovemberAprilDecember to March
Arid westJuneSeptemberJulyOctoberDecember to early March
Central plateauFebruaryMayAugustNovemberMarchJuneSeptemberDecemberApril to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
Deccan plateauFebruaryMayAugustNovemberMarchJuneSeptemberDecemberApril to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
South interiorFebruaryMayAugustNovemberMarchJuneSeptemberDecemberApril to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April
West coastLate August to SeptemberDecemberLate September to OctoberJanuaryDecember to February
East coastFebruaryMayAugustNovemberMarchJuneSeptemberDecemberApril to JulyJuly to OctoberNovember to JanuaryFebruary to April

From seed to harvest

One season, day by day

Days from sowing

  1. Before sowing

    Well rotted farmyard manure or compostNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

    About 1 tonne per kanal · Mix into the soil before transplanting. · Last ploughing

  2. Day 0

    Sow

  3. Day 4 to 5

    Seeds come up1,3

  4. Day 21 to 28

    Transplant1

  5. Day 150 to 180

    Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Water lightly after transplanting, then about once a week in dry spells. Do not let water stand around the plants.No published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

What it needs

Soil, sun and warmth

  • Soil pH1,3

    7 to 7.5

    Deep, fertile, well drained soil that holds water well; sandy loam suits it. Mix well rotted farmyard manure in at the last ploughing.

  • Sunlight2Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

    At least 6 hours a day

    Full sun. In shade the plants grow lanky and flower poorly.

  • Temperature3,1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.

    Grows best at 18 to 20 °C

    Frost: none tolerated.

    Monthly temperatures for the Temperate Himalaya aren't in the library yet.

Water and feeding

WateringNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Water lightly after transplanting, then about once a week in dry spells. Do not let water stand around the plants.

WeedingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Hand weed two or three times in the first two months, until the plants close over the ground.

WhenWhatHow muchHow
Last ploughingWell rotted farmyard manure or compostAbout 1 tonne per kanalMix into the soil before transplanting.

SourcesNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Varieties and yield

Typical range3

8 to 12 tonnes a hectare

Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.

Good neighbours7,6

Grows well with

Pests and diseases3

Organic and cultural controls only.

  • Pest

    Aphids

    Signs

    Small green, grey or black insects cluster on the growing tips and suck sap; plants turn weak.

  • Pest

    Beetles and weevils

    Signs

    They eat young leaves and tender shoots, mostly near the ground.

  • Pest

    Leaf hoppers

    Signs

    Leaves roll and curl and shoots wilt, mainly in the rainy season. French marigold suffers more than African.

  • Pest

    Red spider mite

    Signs

    Active at flowering. Leaves look speckled, discoloured and dusty.

  • Disease

    Damping off

    Signs

    Dark spots and rings on young seedlings, which then collapse.

    Prevention

    • Look after the nursery well; losses are high in a neglected bed.

  • Disease

    Wilt and stem rot

    Signs

    The collar rots; seedlings damp off and field plants wilt. African types are hit harder than French and dwarf types.

    Prevention

    • It gets worse in wet soil, so do not overwater.

  • Disease

    Collar rot

    Signs

    Black patches on the main stem and rotting at the collar kill the plant.

    What to do

    • Water with care.

  • Disease

    Leaf spot and blight

    Signs

    Brown dead spots on the leaves grow larger until the foliage is spoilt.

  • Disease

    Powdery mildew

    Signs

    White powdery growth on the leaves and stems.

  • Disease

    Flower bud rot

    Signs

    Young buds shrivel and turn dark brown; leaf tips and edges show brown spots.

Seed and the season's end

Saving seed1,3

Marigold crosses between varieties: keep 600 to 1,000 m between them, and pull out off type plants at the leafy stage and again at flowering.

When the seed is ready

Pick seed heads when the petals start to shrivel. Leave the small, poorly formed flowers.

Cleaning the seed

Dry the picked heads in the shade for 10 to 15 days, then in the sun for 1 to 2 days. Cleaned seed comes to about two fifths of the fresh flower weight.

Pack dry seed in plastic bags or other closed containers and keep it in a cool place. It stays good for about one to two years.

After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Pull the plants once picking falls off and compost the healthy ones. Take wilted or rotted plants off the field. Clear the bed before the first autumn frost.

Pull the plants after the last picking and compost the healthy ones. Take plants that wilted or rotted at the collar off the field.

Rotation

Do not grow marigold on the same bed year after year; rotate it with a vegetable or a cereal.

Growing under coverNo published guide covers this for the Temperate Himalaya, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.

Raise the nursery under a polythene tunnel or in a polyhouse in late March or April and harden the seedlings in the open for a week before transplanting.

Sources

Where this comes from

Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.

These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.

  1. 1Package of Practices: Cultivation of Flowers and Landscape Gardening 2020 (Marigold; seasonal flowers)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
  2. 3Marigold crop pages: area, soil and climate, propagation, planting, manuring, irrigation, intercultural operations, harvesting and yield, pests, diseasesNational Horticulture Board, Government of IndiaRead the source
  3. 4TNAU Agritech Portal: Horticulture, flower crops, African marigoldTamil Nadu Agricultural University, CoimbatoreRead the source
  4. 7AESA based IPM package: Chillies and capsicumNational Institute of Plant Health Management and Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage, Government of IndiaRead the source

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